Hillary Bonner

Hi! I’m Hillary Bonner. I’ve been on St. John for 8 years and have worn A LOT of hats in my time on island. Most of us do tho…A lot of times island life calls for ingenuity, flexibility and resiliency. And those things are what I kind of LOVE about the people in our Love City Community. Between boat days and day hikes and happy hours with so many happy faces, you may have seen me behind the bar at Asolare, Zozo’s, The Terrace or Drink (once upon a time, Motu) over the years. But after Hurricane Irma, I jumped from behind the bar into non-profit work. That desk job made me remember that, way back when, I DID go to college and I might have been letting some of those skill sets get a BIT rusty. My degree is in Journalism and Public Relations. When asked if I ever used it, my programmed response was, “Bar tending IS relating to the public.” But, back to the desk job…I was doing everything. Which is, again, what you do in a small office on an island. Events, marketing, handling in-kind donations, unloading containers, attempting to figure out logistics I didn’t even know how to spell, community meetings, board meetings, FEMA meetings. All of the meetings. One day, I decided that there were aspects I loved. And aspects…Well, not so much. So I started my own thing, supporting local small businesses and non-profits in the realm of design, marketing and events (specifically music related events…you’ll hear a lot about music from me). I have a bleeding heart for the small yet ambitious non-profits on St. John. And an overwhelming amount of respect for the small business owners who made their ideas take flight in a place where it’s very difficult to do so! I love life here on St. John. The highs are the highest and the lows are not so low as they can be in other places. The accessibility to Mother Nature on this little slice of perfection is unparalleled. She’s all around us all of the time. You can watch the phases of the moon, the rotation of the planets, the shifting of the sunset and the tides. Every damn day. Mother Nature’s restless spirit reflects the transient nature of the people here as well. That was hard for me at first. The coming and the going. But now, I like the fact that I will rarely visit a place that I don’t have a place to stay and a friend to catch up with from St. John. So, now, here I am (using my degree, Ma!). Contributing to a long standing super positive blog. Here I feel like I’m in a position to use my voice to entertain and inform you about the community and island that I love so much. I’m grateful for this opportunity and am ALWAYS open to story ideas! Let me know what, where or who you want to hear about!

Beach Break! Maho Bay Web Cam

September 9, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Every once in a while, I check in on YouTube.com for new views of St. John. There are literally dozens of live web cams positioned around the island from Cruz Bay to the North Shore beaches to mid-island to Coral Bay. And this particular perspective is one of my personal favorites…

Island Update: Off Season has Arrived on St. John

September 8, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

The beginning of September has brought with it a stillness to St. John. The crowds have finally subsided and many restaurants have closed for some well deserved time off for their staffers at this point. Many boats have retreated from the waters surrounding St. John for the hurricane season months. But those who remain are enjoying crystal clear and calm waters. And the island remains well hydrated and popping with lush, green foliage. So I wanted to take a moment to share a few of those updates and photos with you!

Caribbean Cocktails at Home: Lime in the Coconut

September 3, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Well, yesterday was World Coconut Day! What would we do without these brilliant acts of nature? No Hawaiian Tropics smells when you open your REEF SAFE sunscreen. No rich and creamy curry broths. No natural elixir of electrolytes. No multi-faceted, cure all oil. But, most importantly, MANY of our favorite island cocktails would be without that sweet and creamy finish that is attributed to the delicious cream of the coconut. So, today, to honor the coconuts, I thought we might put a lime in it and “drink ’em bot’ togedder” 🙂

A Daily Dose of St. John

September 2, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning! I don’t know about you, but when I’m away from home on St. John, I often feel the need to breathe in the air (and the scenery) there. There are a ton of webcams that I have highlighted in the past. And those will sometimes do the trick. However, did you know that there is a way to watch a live stream of the sunset from different viewpoints around St. John every night of the week?

Friends of Virgin Islands National Park Names New Executive Director

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! If you love St. John and you don’t know about Friends of Virgin Island National Park, it’s time to learn! This INCREDIBLE organization is dedicated to working with the National Park in order to preserve and protect both the natural and cultural resources of our precious St. John. They host educational seminars, walks and volunteer programs in order to educate our residents and guests. They lead the charge on sea turtle protection and reef safe sunscreen. They coordinate the clearing of our beautiful trails and the cleaning of our pristine beaches. And, today, they officially have a new Executive Director, who I, personally, am VERY excited to introduce to you!

COVID-19 Update- Numbers in the USVI and Current Regulations

September 1, 2021August 31, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Happy Tuesday to you all! Today, I wanted to take a moment to update you on the COVID-19 situation in the territory. Not much has changed as far as regulations go and there has been no mention of closing down again. But, just like everywhere else, numbers are climbing for the USVI on the COVID front. So, I wanted to take a moment to make sure we are all up to date with info here on the site 🙂

A Guide to Elin Hilderbrand’s Favorite Love City Stops

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

If you have been following along, you know I love a good highlight reel! One of my favorite things to write up is a list of must stops on St. John. But, I’m only one person and can become biased by my own personal regular haunts and favorite places on island. As objective as I try to be, its easiest to write what you know! So, in an effort to expand that net, I reached out to “queen of the beach read,” Elin Hilderbrand, and asked her for her own highlight reel as derived from her books, “The Paradise Trilogy.”

Caribbean Cocktails at Home – The Bushwhacker

August 27, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Last Friday, I tested the waters on a “news” you can use series about making our favorite Caribbean cocktails at home. Well, you all loved it so much that we are gonna keep that rolling for the next little bit! Each Friday, I’ll share with you a bit of the story behind our favorite beach worthy libations and how you can re-create your favorites at home. Last week we covered the “official” drink of the Virgin Islands, The Painkiller, which originated in the British Virgin Islands. Today, let’s dive into a USVI original cocktail…The Bushwhacker. So, get your blenders ready and ALL of the sweet liquors primed for pouring in order to make this dreamy dessert drink.

Meet Me In Cruz Bay – Tales of Vintage St. John by Dore Coller

August 26, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! A few weeks ago I stumbled upon this music video that has a lot of throwback pictures to Cruz Bay of yesterday with a catchy little tune about Love City as the soundtrack. The song was stuck in my head for days afterwards….It still is as I type this. Ha!

I was curious about the song and where it came from so I did a little Facebook stalking of the song writer, Dore Coller. I have never met him before but he immediately responded to my message and agreed to answer some questions about the song. I was so entertained by his deep dive into the Cruz Bay of yester-years that I wanted to share his colorful response and the the video with all of you!

Who’s on the Water? Boat Charters During the Off Season

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning Everyone! We have seasonally published a report in regards to restaurant closures during the peak months of hurricane season for the past few years. But, a question that I see popping up all over the place is in regards to boat charters during the off season.

During this time of year, a lot of the boat owners on St. John relocate and/or haul out their vessels for the off season months. There are a few reasons for this…For starters, some boat insurance actually requires that the vessel be outside of a certain “hurricane zone” during the peak times of year. Many boat owners will plan to haul out this time of year for scheduled maintenance or to simply take a vacation with the peace of mind that their boat is safe and strapped down in the event of a storm. This is all great for the safety of some of our favorite charter boats, but it leaves folks who are vacationing this time of year with slim pickins when it comes to going for a play day on the water during the off season months. So, I thought it might be time to start publishing a list of boats that are in the water and available for charter from August to November!